Japan, S. Korea leaders pledge "future-oriented" ties based on history

TOKYO - Japan and South Korea agreed Saturday to develop bilateral relations steadily and in a "future-oriented" manner based on the "foundation" laid since their ties were normalized six decades ago, as they face common security and economic challenges.

At their summit in Tokyo, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung agreed that the two nations, as "partners," should step up cooperation and "strategic dialogue" over security.

Lee's choice of Japan over the United States for his first overseas trip for bilateral talks signaled the importance he places on the relationship despite strains over wartime history and territory. Once known for his firm stance, as president, he has taken a more pragmatic approach toward Japan, with which South Korea shares the United States as a common ally.

During the nearly two-hour summit, Ishiba said he stands by the views on history expressed by his predecessors, a symbolic move underscoring the weight history still carries for both countries 80 years after the end of World War II.

After the talks, Tokyo and Seoul released a joint leaders' document covering a wide range of bilateral matters for the first time in 17 years, according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry.

Ishiba specifically cited a 1998 partnership agreement in which Japan acknowledged the suffering of South Koreans under its wartime colonial rule and expressed "deep remorse" and a "heartfelt apology," according to the joint press release.

"Because we are neighbors, there are difficult issues between us. But we will take a consistent policy approach," Ishiba said during a joint press appearance with Lee.

"Based on the foundation since the normalization of our ties in 1965 and the current trend that is favorable to both nations, we agreed to develop our relations stably and significantly," he added.

The second face-to-face meeting for Ishiba and Lee, who became president in June, comes as Japan and South Korea face similar issues, ranging from North Korea's nuclear and missile development and China's rise to declining birthrates at home.

Tokyo and Seoul also share the challenge of trying to deepen cooperation with Washington over security while addressing the economic threats of higher import tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump.

"Just as in personal relationships, relations between countries also require elements that can help manage conflicts and supplement each other," Lee said at the outset of the meeting, which was open to the media.

He called Ishiba a "close friend," and Japan "the most appropriate partner" to tackle pressing issues. After Japan, he will travel to Washington to meet Trump.

"In particular, as the international order is being shaken by issues such as trade and security, I believe Korea and Japan, sharing similar values, systems and principles, must strengthen our cooperation now more than ever," the liberal president said.

The two leaders also agreed to expand a working holiday program for young people.

The recent thaw in relations is a welcome development, especially in the context of trilateral cooperation with the United States. But uncertainty remains as the Asian neighbors have long experienced ups and downs in their ties, analysts say.

The Japanese and South Korean leaders underlined the need for the two countries to work together bilaterally, as well as trilaterally with their common ally the United States, toward the "complete denuclearization" of North Korea.

Ishiba also won Lee's backing for Japan's efforts to resolve the issue of its nationals abducted by the North in the 1970s and 1980s.

Lee's visit to Japan was part of efforts to maintain close communication through regular reciprocal trips by the leaders, known as shuttle diplomacy. After a hiatus when ties cooled, the practice resumed under the predecessors of Ishiba and Lee.

Lee suggested that if Ishiba, who is eager to revitalize regional areas, visits South Korea, they should hold a meeting outside of Seoul.

Japan and South Korea will set up a consultative framework to tackle pressing issues such as urban overconcentration, declining birthrates, disaster prevention and agriculture.

During Saturday's meeting, he also asked that South Korea lift its ban on Japanese seafood imports based on scientific evidence, while maintaining bilateral dialogue, a Japanese government official said.

The import ban was imposed after the nuclear crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, which was devastated by a massive earthquake and tsunami in March 2011.

The summit, which followed one in Canada on the fringes of the Group of Seven meeting in June, gave Ishiba a chance to showcase his diplomatic skills as he faces growing calls from his own party to resign over poor national election results.

Lee's visit comes at a historically sensitive time for both countries. On Aug. 15, the 80th anniversary of the end of Japan's 1910-1945 colonial rule, Lee urged Japan to "squarely" face the "long and fraught" history the two nations share.

The issue of compensation for Korean conscripted wartime laborers in Japan and Korean "comfort women," who were forced to work at Japanese military brothels, has cast a shadow over bilateral ties.